


Don't Try So Hard

by jimercurys



Series: Don't Try So Hard [1]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: High School AU, Love Triangle, M/M, ben and joe dont get along at first, gwilym is confused, gwilym is hopelessly in love with joe, jock!ben hardy, joe is a theatre nerd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-05-15 05:49:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19289422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimercurys/pseuds/jimercurys
Summary: Joe is a theatre nerd who's just trying his best, but once Ben arrives, things change for better and worse.





	1. I Feel Fine

Winter vacation was practically over, and Joe dreaded the thought of going back to school on the gloomy Sunday evening. He pressed his forehead against the cold glass window and let out a bored sigh. His breath fogged up the glass and he drew his name in it. He groaned and wiped the mess with the sleeve of his sweater; he rested his head back on his desk as he let his mind wander. The only upside he could think of going back to school was the fact that his theater class would begin working on their spring show. Joe deeply hoped it wasn’t going to a musical, he couldn’t carry a note to save his life.

 

            His thought was interrupted when his mom’s voice rang from downstairs. He sighed as he stood from the chair. He made his way to the door, cracking it open. “What?” he called out to his mom.

           

            “You have a visitor!”

 

            Joe’s eyebrow rose as he walked out of his room. He sluggishly made his way down the stairs and to the front door. He met his mom there along with his best friend, Gwilym. Joe’s face lit up as he made eye contact with the other teen. It was refreshing seeing his best friend again, nearly after 2 weeks of them being separated by an ocean. He noticed that the Welsh boy’s hair had grown out and he was starting to grow facial hair also. His eyes trailed off and he noticed Gwilym was holding a present, he frowned. He led Gwilym up the stairs and back up to his room.

 

            Once inside, Gwilym plopped down onto Joe’s bed as Joe closed the door behind them. A sigh escaped from Joe as he glanced over at Gwilym. “I thought we said no gifts this year.” 

 

            “Hi, Gwilym, it’s nice to see you. How was your vacation!” Gwilym playfully mocked Joe’s voice. Joe rolled his eyes. “I’m great, Joe, thanks for asking!”

 

            Joe sighed. “Fine. Hi, Gwilym. It’s nice to see you again. How was your visit back to England?” Joe sat down at the same spot he was in before.

 

            “Thank you for asking, Joe.” Gwilym smiled like an idiot as Joe shook his head in annoyance, but Joe still couldn’t help but crack a smile. He missed his friend’s dorky humor. “My vacation was actually very nice. Being back in England was so refreshing, America can be kind of tiring.” Joe nodded and then glanced at the present Gwilym still held onto. His eyes went back to Gwilym as he stared. “What?”

 

            Joe crossed his arms to his chest. “Like I said: I thought we agreed on no gifts this year.”

 

            “Yes, but when have I ever listened to a thing you’ve said?” He had a point. “Just take it.”

 

            “No. I feel bad because I didn’t get you anything.”

 

            Gwilym shoved the small box towards Joe’s chest and began to tease. “Take it, you big baby.”

 

            Joe huffed and reluctantly took the package from his friend. He ripped the white bow that was pinned on top and proceeded to tear off the red wrapping paper. Gwilym smiled as Joe became closer to revealing his gift. He couldn’t wait to see Joe’s smile; he always thought Joe had such a heart-warming smile, especially when his eyes shinned bright.

 

            Joe ran his fingers underneath the box flap as he tore off the tape that secured the box close. Once open, Joe reached inside and pulled out a familiar sight, a record. “ _A Day at the Races_?” Joe glanced at his friend.

 

            Gwilym snickered. “England is packed with all kinds of Queen CDs and records. I remember you saying that was your favorite, too.  There’s one more in there.”

 

            Joe looked inside the box and pulled out yet another record, from the Beatles nonetheless. _The White Album_ , another one of Joe’s favorites. A smile grew onto the teen’s face and his cheeks became hot. He couldn’t believe Gwilym remembered such a small detail about him. “Thank you, Gwil.”

 

            “Of course, Joe.”

 

            “I still feel bad that I didn’t get you anything!”

 

            “Don’t even worry about it, Joseph.” Gwilym smirked. Joe huffed as he pushed his shaggy hair out of his face. He put his gift away in a safe place and crawled onto the bed next to Gwilym. “So, there’s sort of news at my house.”

 

            “Oh, yeah?” Joe folded his hands behind his head and watched his friend. “And what is it?”

 

            “Some lad is going to be living with us.” Joe’s eyebrow raised. “Well, okay,” Gwilym cleared his throat as he began to explain the situation. “So, you know how my old school’s football team is supposedly really good?”

 

            “It’s soccer, but yes.”

 

            Gwilym playfully rolled his eyes. “Well, apparently a handful of the team is coming to America that way they can compete against American teams or something like that. Well, my mum and dad offered for one of the boys to stay with us while he attends school here.”

 

            “Huh.” Joe thought about it. “And are you okay with it, you know, letting some other kid coming into your house?”

 

            Gwilym shrugged. “I didn’t have much of a say or choice, really. My mum and dad just sort of agreed on it. It’s fine, I guess.”

 

            “Have you even met the kid yet?”

 

            “No, not yet. He’s supposed to be arriving sometime soon, and my parents are busy cleaning the whole house.”

 

            “So, what are you doing here?”

 

            "I'm here because I missed you!” Gwilym smiled, and he wasn’t exaggerating.

 

            “Or you’re just too lazy and don’t want to help clean.”

 

            Gwil paused and then shrugged. “I supposed that too,” Joe chuckled. “Do you have to go to work tonight?”

 

            Joe sighed. If there was one thing he dreaded more than going back to school, it was returning to work. “No, but I work tomorrow after school.”

 

            “Well are you up for pizza?” Gwilym smiled as he held up a pair of car keys.

 

            Joe’s eye widened. “You got your license?” Joe didn’t even have his license yet, he still had to ask his mother for rides to and from work and school.

 

            “I got it while on break.” Gwilym said with a prideful smile.

 

            “Lets go!” Joe grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door. Gwilym grinned at his friend’s eagerness and followed behind him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

            “Do you want to come back to my place to meet the lad?” Gwilym asked as he and Joe sat back in the car, stuffed from their dinner: mall food court pizza. Gwilym hoped that Joe would say yes, because that meant he could just spend more time with his best friend.

 

Joe sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t, I have to get ready for school and work tomorrow.”

 

“Hmm,” Gwilym hummed, slightly disappointed. He turned the car on and began to pull out of the mall parking lot. The atmosphere was rather quiet after that, which was worrisome considering how loud Joe usually could get. Gwilym glanced over to him. “Are you okay, Joe?”

 

            Joe turned away from the window and looked over at Gwilym. He absent mindedly raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

 

            “I asked if you were okay.”

 

            “Oh.” Joe thought about it for a while before shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “I don’t know.”

 

            Gwilym nodded his head, encouraging Joe to elaborate. “Tell me, what’s on your mind.”

 

Joe stayed quiet, he didn’t know where to start. He didn’t want to open up, he was afraid that his problems would just seem minuscule and he would just come off as whiny. “I just,” He sighed, struggling to find the right words to use. “It’s stupid, I don’t know. I just…want to get a lead role in this semester’s upcoming show, I guess.”

 

            “You’ve been in theater since grade seven, you do practically _everything_ you can do just to make sure that class is always running right, even more than the bloody teacher!” Gwilym chuckled and Joe just gave a sluggish shrug. Joe appreciated the kind words his friend was giving, but he just didn’t believe them deep down. Joe always doubted himself no matter how many compliments he received. He always strives to do his best, and yet, his best never seemed good enough to him. Gwilym glanced over to see Joe staring at his lap, sort of in a daze. He gave Joe a light pat on the leg. “They’d be crazy not to give you a lead role, Joe. Trust me, I’m not just saying that because you’re my best friend. You’re one of the best actors I’ve seen, and you always amaze me with your talent.”  Gwilym was focused on the road, and stole glances every now and then, just to make sure Joe was listening to him. He meant every word he said to the teen. He just wished Joe could see what he did.

 

            The rest of the ride was quiet as Joe wallowed in sorrow. Gwilym wanted to break the silence, but he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make Joe even more sad. He hated seeing his friend like this, and he felt helpless. Gwil pulled up to Joe’s house and parked the car. Joe let out a tired sigh and undid his seat belt. He reached for the door handle, before Gwilym finally spoke. “Joe.”

 

            Joe’s eyes met with Gwilym’s as he turned his head. His hair was messy, shagging between his eyes; Gwilym thought it was adorable and it made his heart speed up. “What?”

 

            Gwilym swallowed hard, his mouth became dry just looking at the sight that was Joseph Mazzello. He was head over heels for his best friend and he couldn’t stand it. “Um,” Gwilym stammered and shook his head as he cleared his throat. “I just, uh,” he sighed in frustration as he couldn’t find the right words to say. He rubbed his forehead as his eyes lowered from Joe. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” He spoke softly.

 

            Joe shrugged. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, man.” He opened the car door and waved. “See ya.” He climbed out the car and closed the door behind him. Joe hastily went inside, trying to avoid the dreaded New York weather.

 

            Gwilym sighed as he watched Joe disappear into his house. He closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead as he sank into the driver’s seat. He felt so dumb having a crush on Joe. Why couldn’t he have a crush on someone else? Anybody but Joe. Anybody but his best friend.

 

            Gwilym groaned and sat up in his seat. He shifted gear and drove back to his home. As he arrived a few minutes later, he noticed his parents were still home. _What are they doing here?_ He expected them to be out longer than this. He climbed out the car after parking and headed inside his home. He opened the door and walked in, finding his mother in the kitchen cooking dinner. “Hi mum.”

 

            His mother turned around and smiled. “Hi, darling. Where’ve you been?”

 

            He shrugged. “I went to the mall with Joe.”

 

            “Joe, huh?” She smiled cheekily.

 

            “Mum,” He rolled his eyes. He made the mistake of telling his mum about his crush on Joe during their vacation. “We just hung out, that’s all.” He sighed.

 

            “Well, now that you’re here, why don’t you go upstairs and meet our new house member.” She turned back around and resumed making dinner.

 

            Gwilym rubbed his temple and took a deep breath before heading upstairs. He heard music coming from the end of the hall in his room, his eyebrow rose. He slowly opened the door to his room and peered inside. He spotted a boy around his age laying on his bed fiddling with Gwilym’s music player. He was blonde with bright green eyes, his complexion was fair, he had an angel face with a muscular, fit body. The black long sleeve complimented his body so well, it took Gwilym’s breath away. The blonde boy’s green eyes glowed as he stared at Gwilym.

 

            Gwilym cleared his throat as he made the first move. “Hey, uh, you must be uh,” Gwilym blanked. He didn’t know his name; his mum nor dad didn’t tell him. The blonde boy nodded as he turned the music’s volume down. Gwilym rubbed his wrist. “I’m Gwilym.”

 

            “Ben.”

 

            Gwilym nodded. “Are you in grade 11 too?”

 

            “No, grade 10.” Ben huffed.

 

            “Oh, well, uh, it’s a good school, I’m sure you’ll like it. Um, your room is down the hall-”

 

            “Your mum said I could stay in here for now since my room isn’t ready or something like that.” He shrugged, without a care.

 

            “Hmm,” Gwilym hummed halfheartedly. He looked over Ben again; he was getting an off vibe from him, but he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “So, how was your flight over here?”

 

            Ben shrugged. “It was whatever, kind of boring.”

 

            Gwilym squinted his eyes, he felt this conversation going nowhere. “Is that my-my uh, iPod?’

 

            “Yeah, you don’t have much good music on here.”

 

            “Hmm, well I suppose,” he muttered, feeling kind of insulted. Half of his music was recommended by Joe and he cherished the music they shared with each other. “Dinner should be ready right about now, so,” He just wanted Ben out of his room. Gwilym cherished his private space and having Ben there felt like he was just invading it; it made him feel uneasy. “I’ll be downstairs.” He quietly announced. He closed the door and sighed as he walked back downstairs. He had a weird feeling about Ben, and he couldn’t imagine sharing his room with him, let alone his whole house.


	2. Fight From the Inside

Gwilym’s eyes slowly opened when his annoying alarm sounded off; Monday, 7:30 a.m., time for school. He sighed as he sat up from the floor, rubbing his tired blue eyes. He barely got any sleep that night, Ben snored loudly and Gwilym was forced to sleep on the hard floor.  He heard his neck crack as he stretched, and his back was stiff as a board. Today was going to be hell, he could already tell.

 

He rubbed his eyes once more before standing up. He glanced over to his bed and noticed it was empty. _Ben must be up already_. He shook his head as he wandered to his closet, picking out an outfit for the day. He grabbed his favorite pair of dark blue jeans along with a red turtle neck before he slowly made his way to the bathroom. Once he approached the door, he heard water running from the opposite side. It was Ben.

 

He huffed in frustration and let his eyes wander around the hallway. He spotted the big clock that hung on the wall; it read 7:35 a.m. Gwilym needed to be out the door by 7:55. It would take him 10 minutes to drive to school, and the bell would ring at 8:20 a.m. It seemed tedious but it Gwilym’s schedule and he was used to it, he hated being late for anything.  

 

Another minute passed before Gwilym knocked on the door. “Ben?” He didn’t get a response, making him even more annoyed. He clenched his jaw and made a fist, pounding on the bathroom door. “Ben!”

 

The sound of the running water stopped, and Ben’s deep, muffled voice was heard. “What?” he sounded annoyed which took Gwilym back.

 

Gwilym lowered his voice and dug his fingers into the side of his thighs. He couldn’t be brought to confront anybody, that’s just not how Gwilym is. “Are you almost done?” He tried to sound as nice as possible.

 

A few seconds passed, Ben didn’t say a thing. Gwilym figured Ben didn’t hear him, so he was about to repeat himself. But then he heard the sound of the running shower resume. Gwilym sighed in frustration as he slammed his forehead against the door.

 

He jumped when he heard his mum’s voice fill the hallway. “Gwilym! What are you doing, you’re not even dressed yet!”

 

“Ben’s taking forever in the bathroom, mum.” He mumbled in annoyance.

 

“Oh, Gwil, you be nice. It’s his first day at a new school, in a new country nonetheless. Give him a break.”

 

“I’m going to be late, mum.” He dug his nails into the side of his thighs again.

 

“It’s fine, Gwil. You’re always on time, being late just this once won’t hurt you.” She concluded and went back downstairs.

 

He groaned before giving the door one more knock, “We’re going to be late!” he stated, still not getting an answer from Ben. He gritted his teeth and marched back to his bed room. He felt hopeless as he threw himself onto his bed that he missed so much. He reached for his phone, clicking on the home button and seeing a notification from Joe. His heart skipped a beat as a small grin grew on his face.

 

 _Good morning! I’m at school and Ms. G isn’t even here yet, so I’m really annoyed. Are you here yet?_ The text message from Joe read.

 

Gwilym was about to reply when the door swung open. Gwilym’s head shot up and his eyes met with Ben’s. A towel was wrapped around Ben’s waist as water droplets fell from his golden hair and onto his hard chest. Gwilym blinked, trying not to stare for too long. He swallowed hard as he sat up and hurried to the bathroom.

 

Ben huffed as he dried off and changed into black trackpants and a black long sleeve shirt. He dried off his hair and stared in the mirror. He wasn’t looking forward to starting at a new school. It wasn’t like he even _wanted_ to move to America either, his parents sort of made him go through with the whole thing. If he had it his way he would be back in England, in _his_ room, getting ready to go to _his_ school.

 

His eyes wandered, and he saw a polaroid picture taped against the glass mirror. Ben’s eyes studied the image: it was that Gwilym guy with his arm around another teen with auburn hair. They were both wearing costumes, posing in front of a stage. Ben rolled his eyes with a sigh, remembering that he needed to finish getting ready for school. Ben grabbed a comb as he brushed his hair back, then grabbed his socks and shoes and put them on.

 

Ben grabbed his blue backpack that sat against the wall and made his way down the stairs. He was greeted by a cheerful ‘good morning’ by Gwilym’s mum. He forced a charming smile on his face and greeted in return. He was definitely not a morning person. The scent of breakfast sausage, eggs, and toast filled Ben’s nose as he reluctantly stepped into the kitchen. He was hungry, he skipped dinner last night since he was in a bad mood. He felt bad for passing on dinner, he knew Gwilym’s mum worked hard on it.

 

He kept his eyes low, trying to avoid eye contact with the adults. It’s not that he didn’t like them, he just didn’t like adults very much, especially in the morning. “Benjamin!” Mrs. Lee’s cheery voice filled the kitchen. “How did you sleep? Did you have a good night?”

 

He didn’t. He kept waking up in the middle of the night. The bed wasn’t his, so it made him feel uncomfortable, it didn’t feel right. He’d never admit it, but he was homesick already. “Yeah, I had a good night.” Ben smiled as he assured the older woman.

 

“That’s good! If you need anything, just let any of us know.” She set a plate of food in front of Ben. She made her way to the stairs and cupped her hands around her mouth before shouting, “Gwilym! Hurry or else you’re going to be late!”

 

Gwilym huffed in frustration as he heard his mum yelling at him from downstairs. He put on his black boots and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He ran a hand through his damp brown hair and rushed down the stairs. He rushed into the kitchen and saw Ben picking at a plate of food.

 

“You don’t even have time to eat, Gwilym.” His mum complained and then sighed. She grabbed a set of keys from her purse and tossed them to her son. “Be careful, please.” Gwilym nodded and then glanced at the silent blonde boy. “Be careful, boys and have a good day, especially you, Ben.” Gwilym’s mum said with a smile.

 

Gwilym hurried to the front door and Ben followed behind. He moved as slowly as possible, he didn’t want to go to school. The Welsh teen made his way to the small car, climbing into the driver’s seat and turning on the vehicle. He watched as Ben slowly stepped down from the porch and approach the car, he knew Ben wasn’t feeling right but what could he do? Ben didn’t like him, he didn’t talk to Gwilym. Ben finally got to the car and sat down in the seat, leaning back and closing his eyes. Gwilym glanced at the other British boy before shifting gears and driving off to school.  The quietness made Gwilym feel nervous and uneasy, he wondered if Ben felt this way too. In fact, he wondered how Ben felt in general, was he mad, sad, happy? It was hard to read him, that’s what gave Gwilym a bad feeling about him.

 

Gwilym drove to the high school and circled the parking lot a few times before eventually finding a spot to park. He turned the car off and looked over at Ben, who’s eyes where still closed. Gwilym studied Ben’s face. Ben was absolutely gorgeous, his appearance seemed unreal like he was a model out of a magazine. Gwilym probably has never seen someone so beautiful, so striking. Ben’s green eyes fluttered open once he felt someone staring at him. He turned to Gwilym, who sure enough was staring at him. Gwilym quickly looked away, his heart sped up; Ben’s gaze was so intimidating. He cleared his throat as he stared at his lap. “If you uh,” he bit his lip and stole a glance. “Need help finding your classes or anything, I can always help you.”

 

Ben remained silent.

 

“I’m pretty much everywhere around the school, always doing something, so,” he shrugged and rubbed his wrist.

 

Ben grabbed his backpack that rested on his lap, proceeding to exit the car. Gwilym shook his head. _What the hell is his problem?_ Ben had some sort of attitude problem and Gwilym was getting sick of it. He tried so hard to be nice and helpful, opening up his room for Ben to stay in and all he got in return was rudeness. He intensely watched Ben walk up the steps of the entrance, making his way inside the building.

 

Ben tensed up as the doors from the entrance closed behind him. This was it, the beginning of a new school life. He proceeded to walk down the hall, he heard girls not-so-subtly talk about him amongst themselves. It didn’t bother him, he was used to girls and boys talking about him. He turned heads everywhere he went, he was hot, and he knew it. He liked going along with this, usually poking fun of those who were enamored with his beauty. He glanced over to a group of 4 girls who were staring at him, they were obviously discussing him, swooning over him. He gave the girls a sly smile and watched as they all turned bright red. He chuckled to himself and went on with his day.

 

He needed to find the auditorium for some sort of orientation that the school was having for the other lads that transferred here. At least he knew _some_ people here in the school, it eased the pain: the pain of being in a new country, alone. Ben read the signs along the wall and eventually found the auditorium.

 

He walked through the double doors, seeing a big group of familiar boys chatting loudly. They all looked over when they heard the door close loudly, they spotted Ben and cheered. Another one of _them_ has arrived and joined. They all waved for Ben to come over, and he did. Ben finally felt somewhat at home, he finally felt comfortable. He joined the fellow football players and took a seat.

 

Gwilym rushed to his first class, having only two minutes to spare before the late bell rang. He took his usual spot, the front corner left desk in the other rows of seats, right next to Joe.

 

Gwilym plopped down with a sigh, greeting the other teen. “Good morning.”

 

Joe turned away from his text book, facing his best friend. “You’re kinda late.”

 

Gwilym rolled his eyes. “Don’t even get me started.”

 

“Why, what happened?”

 

“It’s that guy that’s staying with us, he-” Gwilym was interrupted when the bell sounded off.  Class has started, and the older teacher began a lengthy lecture about World War 1. Gwilym didn’t get the chance to finish his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I really appreciate the feedback from the last chapter, it really means a lot. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> hello, folks! this is a new series i've been planning for a month and i finally posted it. i hope you all like it and stick with it, and i hope i stick with it too. but anyways, thank you for reading!


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